Risotto Montasio e Pere
Risotto Montasio e pere is a delicious Friuli pear risotto that marries seasonal pears with creamy rice and local Montasio cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 medium onion very finely sliced
- 300 grams carnaroli rice
- 125 ml white wine preferably from Friuli
- 2 ripe pears peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock warmed
- 75 grams Montasio cheese grated
- salt
- black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Melt the butter gently in a pan then add the onion and cook until soft and translucent.
- Add the carnaroli rice. Cook over a medium heat for a 2 minutes to toast the rice grains. Make sure you stir frequently to ensure the rice grains are evenly coated with the butter and onion.
- Add the wine. It should sizzle when you add it. Reduce the wine by half. Then add the chopped pears and cooked for a few minutes until the pears soften a little.
- Reduce the heat and add a ladle of warm stock lot the pan. Stir continuously until the stock has been absorbed into the rice. Continue this process until all the stock as been absorbed or the rice is cooked but has a soft bite. It should take about 20 minutes. By the end of this process, the pears should have broken down and almost disappeared.
- Add the Montasio cheese then season with salt and pepper and serve.
Notes
Feel free to add herbs. A hint of thyme works well, but be careful not to overpower the sweet fragrance of the pear. Add with the onion at the beginning for best results.
For a nice garnish, slice a pear very thinly lengthways with a mandolin and fry gently in some butter.